Never forgotten
by Sayuriameyo
Summary: The calamity has returned after more than two decades of absence. Old friends are reunited, but what awaits them this time in Yomiyama? This is a story of lost memories, bittersweet reunions, a painful discovery and deeds that can never be forgotten.
1. Prologue: A short introduction

**A/N: **Hello everyone! I have been working on this fanfic for quite a while and now I am ready to upload it which makes me really excited :D But before you start reading, there are some things you need to know.

First of all, I do not own Another. I wish I did though.

All Japanese interjections, flashbacks and the characters' thoughts are written in italic.

Warning: this will not be a story for a weak heart. Pain and tragedy up ahead.

Oh and one more thing. English is not my primary language, so I apologize for any grammatical errors or misspellings. I usually check the text for such mistakes, but you can always miss a few, right? Okay, let's get started!

* * *

**Prologue: A short introduction**

When the calamity of 1998 ended much to everyone's relief Sakakibara Kouichi and his remaining classmates graduated at the end of the school year and left for high schools in different parts of the country. With time each and every one of them forgot about the horror they reluctantly witnessed in the first half of that school year. And it was for the best.

The generation that followed immediately took the appropriate countermeasures by making a girl non-existent right at the beginning of the year. Thus the calamity didn't occur in the year of 1999. However, the generation of 2000 wasn't as informed as the one before them and made the same error the class of 1998 did: they failed to choose the non-existent student soon enough. They only accomplished this cruel task in early June. Understandably, nobody wanted to volunteer. Despite this costly mistake the calamity didn't happen that year either. Everyone dreaded the moment when it would start again, taking one student after another. But several months passed and no suspicious accidents occurred, nobody died. Not for the forthcoming twenty-two years.

It was the year 2022. It has been fifty years now that Yomiyama Misaki died and this year would be definitely different than all those in the past. Soon enough the dead would start piling up and spread fear and panic amongst the students. After all these years the various rumours about the curse have almost died out and there were only a few teachers who recalled the details of the consequences if no countermeasures were taken. Upon retiring in 2014, Chibiki Tatsuji has cut all his ties with the Yomiyama North Middle School. If there was no curse, nobody was needed to keep a record of it either. Those who knew the details regarded the calamity as a natural phenomenon which has finally come to an end. They were wrong. The curse was like an earthquake: you could never predict when precisely it would happen until you started to feel its effects. And of course, by then it would be already too late.

Now, will the class of 2022 be left to fate or will there be someone who will manage to gather enough of the lost pieces to face the calamity?


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening memories

**Chapter 1: Awakening memories**

Pursuing his interest in art, Sakakibara Kouichi was now the director of the Tokyo Art Museum. Despite turning thirty-nine this year he looked much younger than any of his employees whom he shared the same year of birth with. He himself didn't feel otherwise either. Not having any problems with his lungs since his teenage years made him appear healthier as well. True, he still couldn't run a marathon, but he never expressed the desire to take part in such an activity anyway. There were only a few barely visible wrinkles in the corner of his eyes that vouched for his true age.

If anyone asked him about a town called Yomiyama, he would be lost in thought for a few moments and then claim that he might have had visited such a place a long time ago, but his memories of that town had faded by now. However, this wouldn't be the case for too long because on a warm evening at the end of May he received a phone call from a certain someone.

"Hello, is this Sakaki?" asked a voice on the other end of the line. The voice and the manner of speech seemed familiar to Kouichi, but he couldn't recall where he heard it before.

"This is Sakakibara Kouichi speaking. Who is this if I may ask?" he asked while searching the inside of his jacket for his house keys. He almost arrived at his flat when his phone rang; therefore he hasn't had the chance to fish out his keys yet. No matter how busy he was, he always answered his phone calls. This was his private number though, so it wasn't work related.

"Uh yes, I should have introduced myself first, but I thought you would recognise my voice. How silly of me, it's been ages since we saw each other. Anyway, my name is Teshigawara Naoya."

"Teshigawara, Teshigawara… I've heard this name before," said Kouichi out loud while fiddling with the lock. He always mixed up the key to the front door with the key to his father's house; the two of them were an exact replica of each other, almost like twins.

"Does the word Yomiyama mean anything?" asked Naoya, hoping for his old classmate to remember some of the events from twenty-four years ago.

"Yes, maybe. Would you mind helping me out here?" he said jokingly into the speaker still not understanding a single word the other man was saying.

"Ah I'm really confusing you, aren't I? Let me try it one more time. We... errr... We used to be classmates in the 9th grade in Yomiyama and we graduated together. We were part of the cursed class, remember?"

The word _cursed_ sent shivers down Kouichi's spine. His irises widened and he felt a slight, but sharp pain in his chest. How could he ever forget? The calamity of class 3-3, the curse that killed his friends and teacher and could only be stopped by… He shook his head. Yes, the calamity ended in the middle of that year, but how? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall what happened that put an end to all the horror.

"Teshigawara! Oh, now I remember. Yes, we really did graduate together. And that was in Yomiyama, of course. But I swear I forgot about the curse," Kouichi admitted shyly.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. The memories of that year have always been present at the back of his mind. Stored in the deepest corner, they still had an effect on Kouichi without him even realising it. The first years in high school he was tormented by nightmares that he could barely remember upon waking up. His father would wake him up every now and then when he was fighting with his sheets and nearly crying in his sleep. However, as time passed, the memories faded and now only erupted in the form of loneliness. Throughout his life he had the feeling no one really understood him, not even his ex-wife. As if there was something that made him different than everyone else. Also, there were days when after a long night of work he dozed off for a few minutes in his office only to see images of fire and rivers of blood never knowing what they meant.

_Despite all we've been through, the memories of the calamity have been enshrouded by the bitter and thick fog of time. It is surely funny how things work_, thought Kouichi.

"Hah, finally! Don't let it get to you; I would have forgotten everything as well if I wasn't still in Yomiyama." Naoya's voice got quieter.

"You haven't left the town?" asked Kouichi the rhetoric question.

"No, I haven't which brings me to the reason of my call. I need a big favour, Sakaki. And sadly, I don't mean the kind of favour that one is able to return… If I could I would tell you this in person, but that is impossible at the moment. I can't leave Yomiyama, so we'll have to do it over the phone."

"Go ahead, you can ask anything," Kouichi encouraged him. He was in the kitchen by now and was searching the fridge for dinner ingredients. He's been living on his own ever since he divorced his wife two years ago. However, cooking wasn't an obstacle. As we all know, he learnt the art of cooking at a very young age since his father wasn't much of a cook himself.

"I know this call has awakened some bitter memories and I am truly sorry for that, but this is an emergency because..."

Kouichi interrupted him, "The sooner you tell me, the sooner I can help." He was getting rather nervous and had the feeling that this conversation wasn't going to be as positive as he first thought.

"Oh yes, you're right." Naoya cleared his throat. "I'd like you to find Misaki Mei."

That name caused an eruption of emotions inside Kouichi. Now that Naoya mentioned her, he remembered how much he missed her in the first few months after he moved back to Tokyo. They grew really close and understood each other perfectly, especially after the calamity had ended. The hell they both had been through couldn't be imagined by anyone, not even Naoya, who was there on that trip as well. Yes, that was when everything ended. The entire class went on a trip in August. But what exactly happened there has been clouded by dust and by the consequences of the calamity.

"Misaki Mei?"

"Yes. You know who she is, right?"

"Yes, of course I know her. But how am I supposed to find her? I haven't seen or heard from her ever since our graduation."

Kouichi could hear someone slapping himself on the forehead on the other end of the line. "I am such a moron; I should have started at the beginning. Ah, I've never been good at explaining things." He let out a big sigh. "Sakaki, I hope you've got time, this will take a while." As soon as Kouichi answered in the affirmative, Naoya began, "When the calamity ended in '98, it didn't return anymore. Everyone had forgotten about it until it started again this year. I don't know the reason for its long pause, but two students and two family members have already lost their lives and I am sure this isn't just a strange coincidence. Oh sorry, I forgot to mention where I got all my information from. I have been the homeroom teacher of class 3-3 for the past two years, that's why I know the situation so thoroughly… What?" Naoya was forced to stop his explanation due to a strange sound on the other end of the line. "Did you just laugh?"

"_Gomen, gomen_," said Kouichi, still trying to conceal a giggle. "It's just… I would have never thought you will become a sensei one day. You sure seemed to have other things on your mind back in those days."

"I was young and so were you, Sakaki," answered Naoya a little offended. "What are you doing nowadays anyway?"

"I work at an art museum."

"As a cleaner?"

"No, I am the director of the place. I didn't want to throw it in your face, but since you were begging for it I had no choice," said Kouichi jokingly.

"I must admit I am a little jealous. Although I can't imagine you running around in a suit looking all serious and whatnot. Well, back to the main topic. I swear, once this is over, we should have lunch together and catch up on all the lost years." Kouichi only managed to answer with a short _uh-huh_ before Naoya continued, "As I was saying, I am the homeroom teacher of class 3-3 this year and I am absolutely sure the calamity has started again. The other day I remembered something happened in the year of 1998 and the horror had come to an end. However, I couldn't recall what it was, so I went to the old 3-3 classroom and after a few hours of searching I found a tape in a locker. I will summarise what was recorded on it since I don't think you remember any of it. Hell, I was the one who spoke on the tape, yet I couldn't remember recording it. Also, its contents were really interesting. The tape gave instructions for further generations who are part of the cursed class on how to stop the calamity once it's begun. The answer is short: send the dead back to the dead. (I should add that hearing myself say this sentence sent shivers down my spine.) So basically, someone has to kill the extra one, the dead one, and it will be over. The difficulty here is that the dead person doesn't know he's dead. Nobody does, actually. And here's where Misaki Mei comes into the picture. You claimed on the tape that Misaki could see the so called "colour of death" with her artificial eye. (This detail made my jaw drop and I wondered whether my reaction was the same back then. I had no idea artificial eyes were capable of such things.) Now, I went to her place yesterday only to find it abandoned. Her neighbour, an older lady, told me Misaki and her mother moved to Tokyo right after her graduation. She did give me Misaki's address though. I think she said her mother used to send her dolls before she passed away. I personally find this detail rather creepy. Who would send dolls to an old neighbour?"

"Her mother made them. Maybe they were a present or something like that," said Kouichi, thinking that he never considered Kirika's dolls to be frightening.

"Oh well, that makes sense, I guess. Anyway, this is where you, Sakaki, come in. Misaki lives in Tokyo and that's where you are as well. I will give you the address and you have to find her. I would do it myself, but like I mentioned I can't leave Yomiyama at the moment because…"

"…because everyone who tried to leave the town ended up dead. Yes, I remember," said Kouichi in an almost inaudible voice.

"Yes. I am really sorry, Sakaki. I wouldn't drag you into this if I had some other option. I spent weeks thinking about this and I came to the conclusion that you are the only one I can trust. Also, there's another reason why I couldn't get much sleep lately…" Naoya paused for a moment. "I have a son, Hajime, and he's in class 3-3 too." Another pause. "I don't want him losing his life in a stupid accident due to this damned curse."

"Teshigawara…"

"And you're not risking anything, Sakaki, because you're not related to the class anymore and Misaki doesn't have a connection to it either. Both of you will be safe, even if you come to Yomiyama."

"What's Misaki Mei's address?"

"Huh? So you'll help me?" asked Naoya surprised.

"Of course, you moron," answered Kouichi while reaching for a pen and some paper. He wrote down the address Naoya told him over the phone and realised that Misaki doesn't even live that far away from his apartment. Both of them lived in Shinjuku-ku and Kouichi found it strange they haven't met all these years. Maybe they did, they just didn't pay attention to each other since none of them looked properly. Just the thought of seeing his old friend again after such a long time made Kouichi overwhelmed with anticipation. Has she changed at all over the years? Does she still wear that eye patch over her left eye? Is she happy? What does she do for a living? Kouichi wanted to ask her so many things, but then he remembered the severity of the situation. Chats like that will have to wait.

He summed up the situation, "So both Misaki and I should come to Yomiyama and by using her artificial eye's "ability" we should determine who the extra one in the class is."

"Yes. Thank you so much, Sakaki," said Naoya relieved. Thanks to Kouichi, Naoya's wife, who happened to pass by, caught a faint, yet honest smile spread across her husband's features. He noticed her reflection in the glass of the window looking out into the garden. Their eyes met in the dim light of the evening. Miyuki's blue eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Alright. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how it went. Do you think Misaki will agree?" asked Kouichi. Up until now he never considered the fact that Misaki might refuse to help. He shook his head. No, Misaki wasn't that kind of a person. If he explained everything, she would agree to go to Yomiyama within seconds.

"I don't think we will have to worry about that. I'm sure she will agree. You know Misaki." Yes, he does. "Oh, one more thing, Sakaki! Just out of curiosity... Who was the extra one in our generation?"

"Huh? _Eto... _The extra one was…" As soon as he finished the sentence, he heard a bird's voice inside his head.

_Ohayou, Rei-chan!_

"I don't know… The calamity altered everyone's memories, remember?" he said eventually. He could feel a cold chill running down his back. It was like the temperature in the room suddenly dropped ten degrees.

The long call between Kouichi and Naoya came to an end. The first step has been made by the friend from Yomiyama, now it was up to Kouichi to make the second. However, he had to wait until the next day, that's why he decided to order some sushi since he didn't find anything edible inside the fridge. It's been a while since he went to the grocery store.

* * *

"_Anata, _who was that on the phone?" asked Teshigawara Miyuki when her husband entered the kitchen. The family was carrying out the usual tasks before dinner; their son helped putting the dishes onto the table.

"Ah, I was chatting with an old schoolmate of mine. You know that guy from Tokyo? The one that had a crush on a weird girl with an eye patch in my class?"

"Oh, you told me about that, yes," Miyuki remembered and broke her chopsticks apart.

"Well, if things go smoothly, they will visit Yomiyama in a few days… That _ahou_ laughed at me when I told him I was a teacher," he added a little offended.

Miyuki laughed at his reaction. "If I had been in your class, I would have found it rather strange as well," she said and gently touched his cheek to imply she was only joking. "So, they got married then?"

"I haven't asked." Naoya paused, and then slapped himself on the forehead. "_Chotto_, I am such a moron. Of course they're not married; Sakaki hasn't seen her since our graduation either. I only know her address, so I asked him to contact her."

"Do you think she is still as odd as she used to be?"

"Uh, I certainly hope not, I've had enough shivers running through me for a lifetime."

"Speaking of marriage, I have no idea how you two crazy people managed to do it," their son said without raising his gaze from his plate.

"Hajime, watch your remarks, please," said his father jokingly. "Also, do you mind handing me the soy sauce? I can't reach it."

* * *

The strange woman, who used to wear an eye patch in school, was working as a librarian in the Central Library in Shinjuku-ku. She was on her way home after an uneventful day between the shelves when a man about her age called her by a name she hasn't heard for a while.

"Misaki!" shouted Kouichi when he noticed she was about to disappear into the depths of her home. His heart almost jumped out of his chest when he saw the small figure stop at the end of the street. Adrenaline was flowing through his veins as he hurried his steps towards the woman who still had the same shoulder length dark hair as back in those days.

When he first called out her name she didn't respond. Only when he called her by her entire name did she turn around.

"Misaki Mei!" said Kouichi in a normal volume since he managed to catch up with her. She turned around with a puzzled look in her eyes. For a moment, Kouichi thought Naoya gave him the wrong address. The eyes of the woman weren't covered by an eye patch. What was even more peculiar, in the dim light of the evening he could see that they were both green. How could this be?

"Hello, my name is Sakakibara. Sakakibara Kouichi. You're Misaki Mei, right?" As soon as she spoke he recognised her voice. No doubt about it, it was Mei, his classmate and fellow non-existent student from Yomiyama. But once he grasped the meaning of her reply, he couldn't deliver an answer.

"Excuse me, have we met before?"

* * *

**_Kimi ni boku ga mierukai?*_ **

**Can you see me?**

* * *

**A/N: **It was quite a long chapter, but thank you for reading through it. Stay tuned for more, the second chapter, Missing pieces, will be coming very soon :)

*The quote is from the opening of the anime, Kyoumu Densen (which I don't own either). I really like the song and I decided to put a line from it at the end of each chapter. Also, I apologise for any misspellings in Japanese, I used multiple translations on the net.

Meaning of the name Miyuki: beautiful fortune/happiness; kanji 美幸

Meaning of the name Hajime: beginning; kanji 肇


	3. Chapter 2: Missing pieces

**Chapter 2: Missing pieces**

For a few seconds Kouichi could only stare into the pair of emerald green eyes having no idea how he should continue the conversation. Then he remembered he didn't recognise Naoya's voice the first time either.

"I know it's been more than twenty years… Do you remember when you were in 9th grade in Yomiyama North Middle School? We were classmates."

The woman shook her head.

"How about the curse of class 3-3? Does that ring a bell perhaps?" The word _curse _did smash a hole in the wall his memories were hidden behind, so he hoped it would have the same effect on her. After all those weren't memories you could easily forget.

Kouichi didn't have to wait for her reply; he saw the answer in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, you must be searching for someone else."

Kouichi looked at the name plate at the entrance. Akaike. She might have changed her surname, but he was sure it was her. It was definitely Misaki Mei. How come she couldn't remember anything?

"My maiden name was Misaki, but how did you know that?" the woman asked suddenly. "No one has ever called me like that since I got married fifteen years ago. Could you be from the library?"

"The… The library?" Kouichi stammered in confusion.

"It's where I work. Oh well, it seems you're not from there after all."

"No, I didn't know you worked in a library…"

"Sorry again, but I think you caught the wrong person," said Mei politely and was about to close the gate behind her.

"No, I am sure you are the one I am searching for." He fell silent for a moment. "Let's see… Ah! I know that you lost your left eye when you were four. Your mother, who made dolls for a living, replaced it with an artificial eye and despite it being very beautiful, you kept it hidden most of the time." Kouichi remembered these facts in the heat of the moment, leaving himself even more surprised than Mei.

Suddenly, a memory returned. It was the first time he visited the doll shop and met the strange girl who was ignored by everyone in school there. It was in the basement of the shop where she showed him her artificial eye for the first time. After that the deaths began to happen one after another.

Mei took a step backwards. Ever since she moved to Tokyo she has never told anyone any details about her artificial eye. When she was in high school she purchased coloured lenses for her right eye to even out the colour. Therefore at first sight you couldn't even tell one of her eyes was not real. Only her husband knew the story of her left eye and that person standing in front of her obviously wasn't the man she married.

_This means he has to be telling the truth… But how? It is impossible, I've never seen him before._

"I apologise, I didn't mean to scare you," said Kouichi in a tender voice as soon as he noticed the panic that spread across her features. This caused Mei to turn away.

"I believe you. Would you like to come in?" Mei asked suddenly without looking into Kouichi's big brown eyes. "My husband is still at work, so I can't offer you anything to eat, but I can make coffee or tea if you'd like."

"S… Sure. Tea sounds nice. Thank you." After his reply, she opened the gate a little further to welcome the stranger into her home. As Kouichi hesitated, she took her steps towards the front door. The realisation that Mei still wasn't fond of cooking amused him. This little detail which he recalled from their school days made him smile.

The inside of the house was small, but neat. It radiated warmth and comfort; there was no trace of the dreadful aura that accompanied those who were connected to the calamity. Kouichi got escorted into a room that served for the purpose of both a dining room and a living room. A curtain marked the border between that room and the kitchen.

Mei put on the kettle and took out some containers with different kinds of tea. She opened the one containing green cherry blossom tea and put the others back into the cupboard.

While she was preparing their hot beverage both of them were lost in their own thoughts. Kouichi was wondering how he should start the conversation and Mei was pondering over this mysterious man who suddenly appeared knowing all those personal information about her.

After she put the tea on the table, she sat down opposite her guest.

"Yomiyama… Yes, that was the place where I grew up. I know it was a small town in the middle of nowhere."

A short silence followed her statement during which both of them almost simultaneously took a sip of their tea.

"There is one year that I don't exactly remember," said Mei after a while. "Sometime after graduation the doctors found that something had been growing inside my head. Since we were planning to move here anyway, they decided to do the surgery in Tokyo. Kirika, my mother, used to own a doll shop back in Yomiyama… Her business wasn't going that well, so she decided to try it in another city. After the surgery I didn't remember much of the past year but I wasn't really concerned about it since I left anyway… The scar is still there, see?" Mei brushed away a few wisps of her bangs and revealed a three centimetre long scar above her forehead that hasn't completely faded not even after twenty-four years.

"So you don't remember the 9th grade at all?" asked Kouichi to sum up her story.

"Barely. I only know that I used to secretly meet with my twin sister. Have you known that I have a twin? Although after having left the town I don't get to see her anymore. It's a shame we lost contact throughout the years, I recall we used to get along pretty well." Mei brushed back her hair and took another sip of her tea. "Well, who knows? I might run into her on the street one day and we will catch up on all the years we've lost."

Kouichi stared at Mei's emerald green eyes trying to determine what was happening. Fujioka Misaki, Mei's twin sister was the first victim of the calamity in 1998, but now it seemed like Mei was sure she was still alive. If everything was true and everything that occurred during 9th grade has slipped from her mind, then there was no reason to make her regain her memories. Kouichi realised what he found so strange the moment she faced him on the street. The Misaki Mei that looked him in the eyes was happier than the Mei he had seen before leaving Yomiyama. Not recalling the horrific events that took place twenty-four years ago and believing her sister was still alive made Mei develop a more joyful personality. True, she had forgotten about their time spent together, but if this was the only way she could be happy then he was willing to live with it.

However, how could he persuade her to come to Yomiyama without causing her to remember anything? Does she even know what her left eye is capable of?

"Say, Misaki…" said Kouichi, but corrected himself right away. "I mean Akaike-san…"

"You can call me Mei," she interrupted him with a smile. "Judging by the things you know about me, it seems like we used to be quite close, right?"

"Oh. Alright, Mei-san it is. Then you can call me Kouichi." She answered with a nod. "Anyway, there's something that's been bothering me. This might sound a little weird… How come both of your eyes are the same colour?"

"Oh that." She leaned in closer, almost knocking over her cup in the process, and opened her eyes widely. "Figure it out, Kouichi-kun."

This sudden closeness made Kouichi blush slightly and before he could stop it a thought snuck into his head.

_She became such a beautiful woman._

He swallowed, reminding himself that this was not the time for thoughts such as that.

He focused on her eye. Around her right iris he detected the edge of a transparent object. Mei noticed the flash of realisation in his eyes. She smiled, taking out a small plastic container and removed the lens in her right eye, so Kouichi could once again look into her ruby red eye. "I didn't want people asking unnecessary questions or stare at me strangely, so I decided to buy coloured lenses," she explained with a shrug.

"Do you see the colour…? I mean, do you see any differently with your artificial eye?" asked Kouichi carefully.

"I told you that too, didn't I?" asked Mei with a smile. "You know, it's a little irritating that you know so much about me, yet I don't even recall the slightest detail about you. Now I wish I could remember that year."

_Believe me, Mei, you don't want to._

She sighed. "About my eye… Yes, sometimes I see a colour that I don't see with my other eye. Interestingly, it only appears when I look at a certain person. Somehow it doesn't transfer onto objects. I think it must be a side effect of the artificial eye."

Kouichi was staring at her once again. This time he was holding the cup of tea in mid-air; his mouth was slightly opened in surprise. No wonder Mei was a completely different person, she didn't have the faintest idea what that colour represented. He decided then that no matter what happened, she must never find out the truth.

"Kouichi-kun? Is everything alright?" asked Mei concerned. Kouichi shook his head and took a nervous sip. The time has come to tell her why he visited her in the first place.

"Mhm? Yes, thank you. Mei-san, there's a reason why I came to you today. I need your help."

"Oh? My help?" Mei raised an eyebrow.

Kouichi was lost in thought for a few seconds, trying to figure out a method of telling her a clever lie and not get caught. However, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"There's this friend of mine in Yomiyama. Actually, you used to know him; he was in our class too. Does the name Teshigawara Naoya mean anything to you?"

"Hmm… It seems familiar, yes. Oh, wasn't that the guy who always told cheap jokes that nobody besides him laughed at? He always wore a blue sweater and a white shirt, right?"

Kouichi couldn't help but let out a faint laugh. "Yes, that's him. You remember him?"

"Well, it would be hard to forget a guy like him," said Mei and both of them laughed. Kouichi once again thought about how happy Mei was and promised himself he wouldn't let the calamity take that from her.

_I wonder how she will react after I tell her that he's a teacher now._

"Yes, him. He invited us both to Yomiyama."

"Why me?"

"Because… He wants us to visit our old school and you have to tell us who wears a different colour than everyone else."

Kouichi fell silent and expected to be showered with questions about the purpose of this seemingly ridiculous course of action. This time it won't be easy to avoid telling her the entire truth, the partial truth has never satisfied anyone. However, Mei responded differently.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"You… You don't want to know why?"

"Of course I do, but you don't seem like someone who wants to let me in on the details." Kouichi blushed. Was it really that obvious? "I assume you must have a very good reason, otherwise you wouldn't have come to visit me today. I will call the library first thing in the morning and ask someone to substitute for me, but I don't think there will be any trouble. When do we depart?"

"Err… Tomorrow if that's okay with you. Let's say… Around ten o'clock? I will come to pick you up."

With that it was settled.

* * *

**A/N: **I didn't find any information about Yomiyama (such as which prefecture it can be found in etc.), that's why I made up my own theory of its location. The town of Yomiyama lies in the depths of the Nagano prefecture, about three to four hours of car drive from Tokyo.

* * *

After Kouichi arrived home, he gave Naoya a ring and told him they would arrive in the afternoon the next day. It's needless to say that the homeroom teacher of class 3-3 was overwhelmed with joy.

"Finally,we can put a stop to it tomorrow. I can't believe this is happening," exclaimed Kouichi's friend over the phone. Naoya suggested they meet in front of Yomi North during one of the breaks and he would lead them to the classroom. "And after everything is over, we should go to Inoya Café and toast to a new beginning. Yes, the place is still running and it looks exactly like it did back then. Oh, it is going to be amazing."

* * *

"You forgot your lens today," said Kouichi after they greeted each other.

"I left it at home on purpose. I have a feeling I won't need to hide my eye where we're going."

Upon arriving in Yomiyama Kouichi once again called Naoya's number and let him know they had arrived. The latter told them to wait in front of the school gates where they would meet.

Ever since they crossed the town's border an uneasy feeling started to develop inside of the two former non-existent students. Kouichi felt the same chill he experienced that evening when Naoya asked him about the extra one in their class. The aura in the car was similar to the one that accompanied the bird's words. After a while he couldn't stand it anymore and turned off the air conditioning.

"So you can feel it too," said Mei in the passenger seat only to receive a puzzled look from her driver. "I don't know where this cold suddenly came from, but I have a feeling it is not promising anything positive."

"Oh, it's nothing. I must have accidentally set the temperature too low," said Kouichi even though he knew Mei wouldn't believe him. Those comforting words were meant for himself rather than for her. After all she didn't have any idea what was awaiting them.

As they approached their old school they saw a much mature version of their former classmate standing at the gates. For some unknown reason both of them imagined Naoya would still look the same he did all those years ago, maybe a few years older. Much to their surprise he was dressed in a plain white shirt with a brown tie and brown trousers as is right and proper for a teacher. If it had not been for his easily identifiable light brown hair, he would have been unrecognisable. Despite looking worried he was waving at the guests from Tokyo happily.

They were about to cross the road when Mei noticed something. A black car had just turned around the corner and was approaching the spot where Naoya was waiting for them. The car's speed was way above the limit. She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand in order to see him better. He was enshrouded by the colour only her left eye could see.

A voice in her head screamed. _Something is very wrong. I must save him!_

"Watch out!" she yelled as she ran across the road, and then jumped in front of the car, pushing away the homeroom teacher of class 3-3. The squeal of the car's brakes could be heard throughout the entire town, but it was too late to avoid a collision.

Kouichi watched this scene from the other side of the road. As soon as he realised what had happened, he rushed over to Mei's unconscious body while repeating her name over and over like a prayer.

* * *

_**Mou hitori boku ga ite.**_

**There is another me.**

* * *

**A/N: **Arigatou minna-san for reading! :D

What do you think will happen to the former classmates? I hope you will return to read the next chapter :)

Meaning of the surname Akaike: red pond; kanji 赤池


	4. Chapter 3: The colour of death

**Chapter 3: The colour of death**

Mei has never been fond of hospitals, especially the Yomiyama Hospital where her sister died. The cracks in the cold walls, the dull beeping sound of the cardiac monitor, the faint, yet distinguishable smell of disinfectant lingering in the air, all this was part of something she never asked for. Now she was sure that this something would stay by her side as long as she was alive. And there would be no escape.

She managed to sit up in her bed and look out of the window into the bright sunlight. When she woke up there was no one in her room and she didn't call for a nurse either. Knowing Kouichi and the others would surely be there soon, she wanted to enjoy the solitude and the silence before everyone barged in. Looking at her arms and legs she determined she didn't suffer serious injuries from the accident.

However, when she came to she had to sort out whether she was dead or still alive. She didn't feel any pain; therefore she concluded she must have lost her life on the road. Soon she was overcome by sorrow and realised that the absence of any kind of ache could be explained by a great amount of painkillers flowing through her system.

Footsteps echoed outside, then an almost inaudible knock could be heard before the door slowly opened. A man in his late thirties with brown hair and brown eyes carefully looked into the room. As soon as he saw the patient awake, he stepped in and closed the door behind him with a faint smile.

"How are you, Mei-san?" he whispered as he approached the bed.

The woman continued to gaze through the glass at the town below. Kouichi didn't want to disturb her, that's why he silently sat down on a chair beside the bed and looked in the same direction Mei was looking.

When the silence was becoming unbearable, he said, "The doctor said you only suffered minor injuries which is a miracle considering how fast that car was going. You will be allowed to leave the hospital tomorrow." No response. "Before we leave for Tokyo, we can stay at Naoya's place, that's where I am currently residing as well. Speaking of which, he will be here soon and will personally thank you for saving his life. He made me promise not to say a word until he gets here, otherwise…"

"I saw the colour of death." It seemed like Mei didn't even listen to what the man beside her had been talking about the past minute. Those words made Kouichi freeze.

"Huh? You saw… The colour of what..?" he stammered. He didn't remember telling Mei about _the_ colour_._

"I saw the colour of death on Teshigawara," Mei repeated and turned to face Kouichi. "Sakakibara-kun, I remember you."

Kouichi's breathing and heartbeat quickened, his pupils dilated. He was staring at Mei in disbelief.

"What do you mean..?" he whispered even though he already knew the answer. No, he needed to hear it out loud.

"Maybe it was the accident, maybe it was the town itself that made my memories return. Whatever the cause, it doesn't matter now. It was bound to happen anyway."

There was no doubt about it: the act was over. Despite failing to deliver a reply, Kouichi felt like a huge weight has been lifted off his chest. Instead of answering with words he leaned over to Mei, and enclosed her in a tight embrace completely forgetting about her injuries. The sudden physical contact left her surprised, but she chose to accept it. Her weak arms rested on Kouichi's back, her face was buried in his shirt. It's been so long since anybody held her like this.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth," Kouichi confessed in a sad voice when they let go of each other. "Being void of those memories… You looked so happy and I didn't want to ruin that."

"I don't blame you for anything," said Mei slowly. "Actually, I am kind of grateful you brought me back here. All these years I'd been cheerful, but at the same time I felt like I was missing something inside. Now that feeling is gone thanks to you, Sakakibara-kun. True, having returned to Yomiyama made me remember all the horrible things that happened. However, it also made me recall the time I spent with you in 9th grade. And those had been one of the happiest memories since my sister died."

Kouichi blushed as he thought about those days. Back then, when the horror ended and they got to spend the rest of the school year in peace, they spent most of their free time together. Each day they took long walks by the river after school without any worries whatsoever. Kouichi sometimes attempted to teach Mei a few tricks in the kitchen, but it always backfired. Also, Mei never wore her eyepatch at home. Whenever they entered her house Kouichi removed it immediately. At first she resisted. Later she even brushed aside her hair so they didn't represent an obstacle. Despite everything Kouichi dreaded the day when he would return to Tokyo. Deep within his heart he refused to accept that his stay in Yomiyama was only temporary. He didn't want to face this fact, that's why he buried it and hoped that with time it would fade away. Even when the day he feared most came, he kept telling himself that their paths would cross again. Kouichi would have never said this out loud, but he considered themselves an inseparable couple. Until life cut off the ties that bound him to this fantasy.

He couldn't think of an appropriate reply to her statement, that's why he changed the topic. "How… How are you feeling? You must be the first person in the last fifty years to ever survive an accident staged by the calamity. Because I am sure it wasn't just a coincidence."

"You know, I think it was only because I am not directly connected to the class anymore. If it had been Teshigawara-kun, the hit would have definitely been fatal."

Speaking of the devil, their conversation was interrupted by a loud knock and before waiting for someone to invite him in, Naoya stormed into the room with a worried look spread across his features.

"Misaki! Are you alright?" he asked as soon as he saw the patient sitting upright in her bed.

"Well, yes…" she answered a little confused. Now that Kouichi thought about it, Mei used to say she would never get used to Naoya's adrenaline filled personality.

"_Yokatta! _Also, thank you for saving my life back there, Misaki. I will owe you for ever." He was about to continue his speech when Kouichi interrupted him.

"Teshigawara, Mei-san has regained her memories." While Mei was unconsciously lying in the hospital, Kouichi let him in on the details about the state of their former classmate.

"Really?" the sensei asked and looked at the patient. "Is that good or bad?"

"It's good," said Mei before Kouichi could decide on an answer. "Now I know what I have to do and you two don't have to hide anything from me anymore. I know it was for my own good, but the situation has changed."

Kouichi finished her thoughts. "Yes. We are once again in 9th grade. We know what our task is."

* * *

The events that took place the next day would soon be forgotten by Kouichi and Mei, but they would always be a part of Naoya's life.

Mei got released from the hospital and they decided to head immediately to Yomiyama North and catch the class before they headed home. They were waiting for Naoya in the corridor when the door opened and the homeroom teacher of class 3-3 asked Mei to come in.

"Everyone is present today," he had whispered to her before closing the door behind her. She turned to face the class; her look met twenty-six pairs of curious eyes. While Teshigawara introduced her as a substitute teacher for next week (that was a lie he came up with at that moment and didn't concern himself whether it sounded very believable or not), she let her gaze wander across the girls and boys sitting obediently in their neatly ironed uniforms. It didn't take long for her to notice the all familiar colour on one of them.

"_Yoroshiku onegaishimasu_," said Mei breaking off Teshigawara's explanation. "You will get to know me more closely next week, now I have other things to attend to." She bowed and stormed out of the classroom. After she regained her memories this was the first time she saw someone close to death and the feeling of fear that was all too familiar returned. Apparently she wasn't as ready for it as she thought she would be.

When she closed the door behind herself Kouichi looked for confirmation in her eyes. Mei avoided his look and was inspecting the freshly polished floor when they heard Naoya's voice from inside the room.

"Alright, that's all for today. Have a nice weekend; we'll see each other next week." The words were meant to be loud enough for anyone on the corridor to hear. Kouichi went over to the door and slid it open. Naoya was directing his attention at one of his students who looked very similar to his sensei.

"That's Hajime-kun, Naoya's son. I met him while you were at the hospital. The likeness is uncanny, isn't it?" explained Kouichi and signalled the teacher to come over.

"Who is it?" he asked Mei in a fainter voice. Kouichi noticed his voice was shaking a little. Mei pretended as if she didn't hear the question. Tears began to form in her eyes.

"Mei, who is the extra one?" asked Kouichi as well. The three of them were standing in front of the door and were blocking the way for the students. After one of them politely asked to let him through, Kouichi moved to the side to let him pass.

"Sakaki, what if one of them…"

"The extra one is still inside," Kouichi said and looked at Mei. "Isn't that right, Misaki?" Being called by her maiden name by Kouichi made her raise her gaze only to meet his worried look. He gave her a supportive nod and moved to the side to let Mei see the classroom in its entirety. Naoya followed her gaze. He could feel his entire body shaking now. The look he saw in her eyes sent shivers down his spine and he wasn't so eager to know who the dead one was anymore.

"The extra student is…" said Mei and pointed at a student who was facing away from them. He was standing by the window and was probably inspecting the school yard. It seemed like he chose that activity to kill some of his time while he was waiting for something. Or someone.

"Ha-Hajime? No," Naoya whispered in a high pitched voice.

"I am so sorry, Teshigawara-kun."

The classroom was almost empty now. There was only a small group of girls exchanging notes at one of the desks and then there was the boy whose gaze was still directed at the happenings outside. The bright sunlight encircled his figure and made his light brown hair shine in a golden colour.

Both Kouichi and Mei expected their friend to lose his senses and deny the facts that are right in front of him. Instead he swallowed hard and approached his son by the window. As soon as the boy heard his footsteps, he turned around to face his father. He took his hands out of his pockets and grabbed his bag.

Looking at his father expectantly, he said, "_Otou_-san, I am ready to go home. Oh shoot." He looked around. There was no one who could have heard him. "_Gomen, _I meant to call you Teshigawara-sensei, but I got lost in thought and forgot. Do I…"

"Never mind that, Hajime," Naoya interrupted him with a serious look on his face. The boy's eyes grew wide with surprise. It was the first time he saw his father look at him like that. Hopefully nothing was wrong. "I have some things to discuss with Misaki… Misaki-sensei over there," he threw a gaze towards the door. "And her husband… Would you mind waiting for me in the corridor? I promise I won't be long."

"Yeah, sure," the boy answered still a little scared. "There isn't a problem, is there?"

"Huh, what? No, there's no problem at all. Just wait for me, alright?" After those words left his lips, Naoya turned on his heel and hurried towards the door. "Come with me," he said to Kouichi and Mei who were still standing motionlessly at the door. They followed him up the stairs to a small cabinet that looked like a storage room of some kind. The walls were lined with shelves full of old boxes and documents carelessly piled into mountains that seemed like they would scatter on the floor if the smallest breeze was let inside. In the middle of the room there was a small desk with a few chairs left around it. A thin layer of dust covered everything in that tiny place the three former classmates entered.

"Teshigawara…" Kouichi began as the door closed behind them, but the other wasn't listening to him.

"That can't be… Hajime can't be the extra one, he just can't," said Naoya and ran his fingers through his hair, ruining his neat hairstyle. "He's my son, I would know if something happened to him." Kouichi and Mei watched as his hands got hold of his tie and loosened it in slow motion. While he was staring at the ground, he searched for support and leaned against the desk causing tiny particles of the settled dust to take flight. His breathing became heavier with each passing second, so he unbuttoned the upper two buttons of his shirt. Little pearls of sweat started to form on his forehead and he had the feeling it suddenly became scorching hot inside the room.

"Teshigawara…" Kouchi tried again and stepped closer to the man who was about to lose the last vestiges of self-control, but was interrupted by a bird's voice.

_Genki, genki! Rei-chan, ohayou!_

It was that bloody bird again. Where did he hear it before? He looked around. None of the people around him seemed to have noticed the sound, so where on earth did it come from?

"Your memories have been altered, it's part of the calamity," said Mei. She approached Naoya and tried to look him in the eye. "I don't want to be the one to say this, but we all know what the next step is." That moment she felt like this wasn't the only time a close relative of someone she knew turned out to be long gone.

"I know, I know," said Naoya while inspecting the dirty floor with his teeth clenched. He pushed himself away from the steady support of the desk behind him. After taking a few steps towards the dusty window, he buried his face in his hands.

"Who should do it?" asked Mei. She rushed the decision because she didn't want anyone else to become a victim. Far too many people have already been hurt due to this damned curse.

"Teshigawara, I will do it," said Kouichi, not completely aware of what he just agreed upon. He never imagined himself as a killer, but if the person is already dead it shouldn't matter, right?

_Of course it should,_ Kouichi thought and felt like a huge stone was clinging to his heart and cutting into the soft tissue. Because when you do it, when you take somebody's life, the consequences will never leave you. The weight of your sin will be burnt into your subconscious for ever and hoping for it to fade would just be wishful thinking.

_Genki, genki!_

_Why do I keep hearing this voice? Could it be that I am going insane? Or maybe…_

Kouichi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that he had already killed someone and that voice is there to remind him of the horrible thing he'd done? Then how come he didn't remember it? It was this question that made everything clear. _If I don't remember it then it must mean that it happened during the time the calamity was active back in 1998. Was it me who disposed of the extra one that year? But what does this bird have got to do with everything?  
_

Kouichi's train of thoughts was stopped by Mei. "Sakakibara-kun, are you alright? You look kind of sick."

"Huh? Yes, everything is peachy." Kouichi took a deep breath. "Teshigawara? We need you back here as soon as possible. Can you hear me?"

"What?" Naoya turned around, his eyes reflecting emptiness. "Oh, right. We need to kill the extra one." Silence fell. The words he said were as sharp as a razor. "I will do it."

"Are you sure?" asked Mei while searching for reason in Naoya's eyes. There was none.

"Yes, I have to be the one." More silence. "Sakaki, thank you for the offer, but I can't let you live with this. It has to be my burden." He forced a faint smile upon his features. In the dim light of the room and in the current situation it didn't come across as a smile of encouragement or determination, but rather than a smile of approaching insanity. "I was part of his life for fifteen years, watched him grow up and saw him cause the same troubles I did when I was his age… Besides, the safety of this class is my responsibility, so I'd like to be the one putting an end to all this. Also, you are not connected to the class anymore. If you do it, we can't even be sure it worked... One more death and then there will be no more, right?" He sighed and ran through his hair once more, combing it with his fingers back to their original state. "Let's go before I change my mind. Hajime must be waiting for me." Naoya rushed towards the door, tore it open and ran down the stairs. Like before, Kouichi and Mei followed him but not before exchanging a concerned look.

"Thank you both for helping me out," said Naoya when they caught up with him. They could see the figure of a teenage boy at the end of the corridor with his bag swung over his shoulder. "It sounds horrible, but I already have an idea on how to do it. However, I don't want you to be witnesses to the crime I'm about to commit. You better leave Yomiyama as soon as possible. Sakaki," he turned to Kouichi. "I'm sorry we can't have that drink at Inoya as I promised. It's a shame we reunited under such grim circumstances."

"Ah, forget about that. On the other hand, you know what you have to do after it's done?"

"Yes. I have to record the details and hide it in the classroom before the memories slip from my mind," said Naoya, clearly aware of his task.

"Yes. Good luck, Teshigawara-kun," said Mei and shook his hand. Naoya couldn't help but notice how warm her hands were. Since her skin was very pale he assumed her hands would be ice cold, but they were rather pleasant.

"If you need anything, you can always give me a call," said Kouichi and squeezed his friend's shoulder as an encouragement.

"I will. Thank you."

"Let's go, Sakakibara-kun," said Mei and they both walked down the corridor leaving Naoya behind. When they passed Hajime the boy bowed.

"_Sayonara,_ Misaki-sensei," he said with a smile.

"_Sayonara, _Hajime-kun," Kouichi answered in a sad voice.

"Say, Sakakibara-kun," Mei said when they were walking down the stairs. "As far as I remember, the extra one is always someone related to the curse. Someone who died in the past because of it, right?"

"Yes, that's what the librarian told us if I recall correctly. What was his name? Chizuki or Chibiki I think. Why do you ask?"

"That means Hajime-kun died because Teshigawara-kun was connected to the class. But he couldn't have died this year; otherwise the extra one would have been someone else. Meaning…"

Kouichi caught her line of reasoning. "...meaning he must have died last year or even earlier. If that's true, then the calamity didn't start this year. Teshigawara got the timing wrong."

"_Sono toori desu. _It started earlier."

* * *

"Hajime, come with me please. I'd like to tell you something important before we head home," Naoya said. They headed in the same direction as he did with Kouichi and Mei earlier, but they didn't stop at that dusty old room. They went all the way up to the roof where a wonderful view of the city presented itself in front of their eyes.

"Are we allowed being up here?" Hajime asked a little worried. The railing on the roof hasn't been fixed since the end of the nineties and wasn't very steady. Due to the danger the roof represented in the past decade, it has been prohibited to enter this area at all.

Naoya only gave a nod instead of properly answering. "Hajime, do you remember all the trouble you got into a few years ago?"

"_Otou-san_, you promised you wouldn't mention this again. I don't do that stuff anymore, you know?" Hajime said pretending to be offended.

Looking at the horizon Naoya had the feeling this wasn't his first time looking at this panorama in the company of people close to his heart.

"Did I? Oh well, I only wanted to ask whether you regret them or not. And answer truthfully."

"_Eto…_ Only if you promise not to get mad at me."

"Of course not."

"Well, I do regret a few things, but most of them I don't," said Hajime and blushed. He looked at his father waiting to be scolded for his answer. However, Naoya just laughed.

"You really are my son after all," he said while ruffling Hajime's hair that was the same colour as his. "Let me tell you a secret, but don't tell your mother." He leaned in closer and whispered into his son's ear, "You know, I haven't regretted them either." Those words made Hajime laugh.

"You and I aren't that different," said his father. Suddenly he became serious. "Hajime, I have something to tell you… I want to tell you the reason why I asked you to come up here."

"Yes?"

The silence that followed was deafening. Then tears started to form in Naoya's eyes. "No, I don't know how to do this," he said more to himself than to his son.

"What do you mean, _otou-san_?" asked Hajime confused.

Ignoring his question Naoya turned to face his son and seized him by the shoulder with both hands. The grip was tighter than he intended it to be, that's why Hajime got scared and tried to free himself, but he wasn't strong enough to do so. Now two tears started to roll down the teacher's face. Hajime's breathing increased as he understood something was terribly wrong with his father. His heart began to pump adrenaline through his young body and he attempted to free himself again. His father, who was always cheerful and full of life, was now crying and that frightened him. Then out of the sudden Naoya embraced him, holding him tightly in his arms. Hajime relaxed a little. A few seconds ago he thought his father would hurt him.

"I am truly sorry, Hajime."

Not awaiting his son's reply he pushed him away from himself. Hajime let out a small cry of pain as he hit the railing which immediately broke upon impact. Naoya averted his gaze as his son lost his balance and fell off the roof towards his death.

* * *

_**Nee ittai tsumitte nandarou?**_

**What in the world is a sin?**

* * *

**A/N: **I am so glad I finished this chapter, it's been the hardest one to write so far. The next chapter is already in progress and it's called A brief encounter. Take care until then, lovely and faithful reader :)


	5. Chapter 4: A brief encounter

**Chapter 4: A brief encounter**

Sakakibara Kouichi was standing in front of Misaki Mei's home in Tokyo. He chose to drive her home right away since it was quite late when they crossed the city's border.

"I would have insisted on having dinner together, but with you being a married woman I can't just kidnap you in the middle of the night," laughed Kouichi to ease the tension that has been lingering around them ever since they left the school's premises.

"Thank you, but I am not really up for dinner. I feel quite exhausted, I think I will go straight to bed," said Mei in an absent voice.

Kouichi nodded silently and fished out Mei's bag from the trunk. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Sakakibara-kun." Silence enshrouded them until Mei voiced out loud what both of them were thinking of anyway. "So what happens now?"

"Now?" Kouichi fell silent as if trying to comprehend the question. When he spoke again, his voice had a touch of sadness in it. "I guess we all go back to our normal lives and try to forget everything as soon as possible." How absurd that sounded. None of them would be able to completely get rid of the events of the past three days, especially Naoya. Kouichi wondered how he was doing at that moment. Should he give him a call in the morning? And ask what? Whether he successfully completed _the job_? He shook his head. There was nothing he could do, he felt completely useless. He knew his friend needed comfort and support and it angered him that he wasn't able to help him in any way without making everything worse.

"If we can," said Mei.

"If we can," Kouichi repeated.

It was a windy evening. Windy, but pleasant. The sweet scent of the oncoming summer that the warm breeze brought about made more memories connected to Yomiyama resurface. Memories of a summer spent in horror in a little town in the middle of nowhere. Memories he didn't know were still there, locked behind a door waiting to be released. It was a night just like this, only at that time neither his nor Mei's existence was acknowledged by the class.

_*FLASHBACK*_  
_They were sitting beside each other by the river, listening to the silence and gazing at the barely visible waves the wind created on the water's surface. The calm evening made the calamity and its horrors appear like something from a novel or a film. However, it was just a couple of days ago that Kouichi witnessed the death of a classmate who died right in front of his eyes due to cardiac arrest. The boy's struggles during his last moment were burnt onto Kouichi's retina and he relived the scene over and over every time he closed his eyes at night. A lot of people had died already and neither Kouichi nor Mei knew what was awaiting them. None of them knew how long the calamity would last and how many people they knew would lose their lives. For all they knew this could be their last time together. If the new countermeasure won't hold, that is._

"_Every time I enter the classroom I wonder how many more desks will be empty by the end of the week," Mei whispered afraid she might disturb the peaceful atmosphere if she didn't lower her voice. "I am a horrible person for saying such things, right? But I can't help it, that's what I think."_

"_Do you think more of our friends will die?"_

_Mei looked up, searching for answers in the dark sky. "Surely this isn't the end. Not like this. It would be too easy."_

_Kouichi protested. "What about the new countermeasure? If we're both treated as non-existent, the numbers will add up and…" _

"_I have the feeling it's too late. The calamity has its own rules, altering them is just wishful thinking." She sighed. "I can't force myself to believe something that I know is not true. Some people can, but I'm not one of them."_

"_Misaki." The determination in Kouichi's voice made her look at him with curiosity. Their eyes met and the boy took hold of her small hands. "We will get through this. Nobody will die anymore because we will figure out a way to stop the curse. Together. I don't care that nobody succeeded to do so in the past, I believe we can do it." His grip on her hands tightened. "I am not willing to give up without even trying properly. Things are impossible until you figure out the right method to solve them. There MUST be a way to stop the deaths; we just haven't found it yet."_

_His words made Mei sink into deep thought and avert her gaze. Kouichi, who was still looking at her, noticed a small smile in the corner of her mouth. He could only guess what was going on inside her mind.  
*FLASHBACK END*_

The memory was so clear, Kouichi felt like it happened only yesterday. Of course, back then he couldn't keep his promise because there was more bloodshed a few weeks after that. They did manage to end the curse though, so he wasn't completely in the wrong. The calamity _could_ be stopped after all.

"At that time I didn't understand what was going on," Mei said all of a sudden, her words teleporting Kouichi back to the present time. "I mean right before the accident in front of the school. The only thing I saw was the strange colour covering Teshigawara-kun's figure… True, the colour wasn't anything out of the ordinary for I've seen it many times in the past. It was my subconscious. My mind suddenly screamed that if I didn't jump, something terrible would happen to him." She looked at Kouichi, trying to think of an explanation. "I can't really describe it. I just _knew_. Deep inside. An invisible force from within pushed my body forward. So without comprehending the situation, I ran in front of that car." Mei smiled. "You know, Sakakibara-kun, this is the first time that I managed to save someone who had Death knocking on their door. I've always wondered what kind of feeling it was to save a life. Maybe it is because of the curse, but… I don't feel like I did a good deed. Because later that day I caused the death of someone else, the extra one in that class. Even though I don't know who it was anymore and even though that person did die sometime in the past, I feel awful. It's like I took that person's second chance at living... Now I only have to remember how to live with a burden like this." She took a moment to sort out her thoughts. "There is one thing that I learnt back in 9th grade. The calamity not only takes, it also gives. The extra one gets a chance to start over again. Not only they, their friends and family get a second chance as well. A little memory altering here and there is not such a difficult task. And to restore the balance, somebody else has to pay. Yes, the numbers are a little uneven, but those are the rules of nature, right?" She paused for a moment and shrugged. "Oh well. We don't get to have a say in this anyway. Some time ago I found a quote in a book that compared people with the pawns on the chessboard. I think this is exactly what we are to the curse."

"Misaki…" Kouichi wanted to embrace her and tell her that no matter what, he would always be by her side. Then he realized that wasn't his job anymore. That ship has sailed.

Without granting Kouichi a glance, Mei continued while inspecting the ground, "I also recall seeing the colour on my mother in law before she died. It seems ridiculous to me now, but I have never made the correlation between the colour and Death itself since there were so many people I saw every day with that colour. I always thought it was because my eye was artificial and therefore couldn't see properly. How naïve I was… There hasn't been a single day when I didn't see the colour of death either at my workplace or on the street. You wouldn't believe how many people are on the verge of death every day. Either way, there's no point in telling you all these things now." She sighed. "I guess I will have to buy myself an eye patch tomorrow. I can no longer ignore the colour, so it's better if I go back to the primary solution."

Kouichi didn't reply. He didn't know what to say and there was nothing that could have been said anyway. Mei noticed his uneasiness, that's why she changed the topic.

"Will you visit me sometimes? It would be sad if you disappeared out of my life again," she said a little nervously and met Kouichi's eyes. After all she was married, Kouichi didn't have a wife and inviting a man into your house while you have a husband never looked good to the prying eyes of the neighbours.

"Would that be okay?" asked Kouichi surprised. He thought Mei wanted to be alone for a while to sort out her regained memories.

"Yes, sure. I can introduce you to my husband too if you'd like. Don't worry, he's a good man, not jealous at all. I'm sure you two would get along nicely."

_After everything she's been through, I am happy she found a man who loves and cares for her,_ Kouichi thought and his lips curled into a faint smile. "I would love to," he said and then remembered something. "Misaki… No, how may I call you now?"

"Didn't we agree on Mei?" she asked, a little amused at Kouichi's dilemma. "Just because I have my memories back doesn't mean you have to get all formal, Kouichi-kun."

"Oh, right," he said, blushing. "Well then, Mei-san, do you remember that time when I promised that I would take you to a museum if you ever happened to come to Tokyo?"

"You said that? What about it?"

"Well, I happen to have some… Err, connections with an art museum if you are interested…"

Mei smiled, grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from the depth of the bag she's been clutching throughout their entire conversation and scribbled something on it. She handed it over to Kouichi. "Whenever you feel like it, give me a call. Nowadays you can't avoid cell phones like you could back in the nineties. I still haven't taken a liking to them though. I actually stopped counting the amount of time they ended up in the waste or in the river."

Kouichi returned the smile and took the paper with Mei's number. "See you soon then. Take care."

"_Ja ne_, Sakakibara-kun."

Mei hesitated for a few seconds. Having decided, she stepped closer to Kouichi and embraced him, taking him by surprise. Her embrace was firm, but not invasive. Kouichi wrapped his arms around her in a similar fashion and thought how Mei's actions always spoke louder than words. Even though she tried to hide her emotions, deep inside she was still hurt and searched for support. He decided to let her take as long as she needed, no questions asked. The embrace ended after what seemed like hours. Kouichi thought Mei may have cried, that's why she took that long, but he couldn't detect any trace of tears in her eyes.

"Goodnight," she whispered and quickly disappeared into the night without letting her friend reply.

As he was driving home, Kouichi could still feel her strong embrace. He tried to remember a time when Mei was the one who encouraged physical contact, but he couldn't recall such an event. This was a first.

* * *

That night Kouichi couldn't close his eyes for more than two hours at most. He re-adjusted his cushion multiple times, opened the window, drank a glass of water, he even took off his shirt, but nothing helped. He didn't know what was a bigger mess, his bed or his head. Staring at the blank ceiling he thought of his friend back in Yomiyama. Even though he knew with all certainty that the calamity has once again been ended, he noticed Mei wasn't the only one who couldn't remember who the extra one was. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even recall the student's gender, let alone their name. Funny how the curse worked. Just earlier that day he remembered a memory from many years ago down to the smallest detail. The identity of the extra one has completely slipped from his mind, despite being part of the class less than twenty-four hours ago. Well, does it even matter? The curse is over and nobody else will die. This is the only thing that counts. Knowing the name of the dead one wouldn't change anything, would it? Then what on earth was it that gave Kouichi difficulties sleeping? The answer to these questions lied in his subconscious which kept whispering that not everything was alright, not everyone was at peace. The most probable person for this could be Naoya who was the one that decided to take care of things on his own, not letting either Mei or Kouichi support him. Then there was that mysterious bird, the sharp voice that kept screaming _"Genki!"_ during their entire stay in Yomiyama. Moreover, the discovery Kouichi and Mei made whilst walking out of the school: the calamity didn't start that year, it started much earlier than they first thought. Could the cause of this be the slumber the curse had been in for twenty-three years and therefore needed to "warm up"? Speaking of which, why did it stop in the first place? What did they do back in 1998 to make it dormant for so long? And more importantly, what awakened it?

However, it was useless. No matter how hard he tried all night, Kouichi's memories were foggier with each passing hour. Eventually, as the sun started to rise over Mt. Fuji, exhaustion got a hold of him. As the light of the rising sun gently caressed his cheeks, he fell into a peaceful sleep and the worries of the past started to slowly slip away. Until the alarm clock woke him up shortly after, that is.

* * *

Two months later, two men met by coincidence in Minato-ku. Kouichi was the first one to spot the other man (who looked completely lost) standing in front of a coffee shop. Without averting his gaze from Naoya's back he quickly dialled his number. It took a while for his friend to notice the ringing in his pocket due to all the noise the traffic produced.

"_Moshimoshi?_ Who am I speaking to?" he asked, covering his right ear with his hand in order to block out the traffic.

"You've already deleted my number, I see."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you properly. Sakaki, is that you?" Naoya's question reflected slight surprise mixed with some panic. _Don't tell me he knows I am in Tokyo._

"Turn around, you moron," laughed Kouichi.

"What?" Naoya made a turn of about one hundred and eighty degrees and met the gaze of an old friend who was waving at him with a smile. In his astonishment he almost forgot about his coffee. Apologising repeatedly, he let the change slip into the pocket of his trousers. "Do you have a tracking device planted on me?" Naoya asked in his usual joyful manner after they greeted each other. They were walking down the street while the sensei was slowly and a little nervously sipping his caffeinated beverage.

"No, your employer does and he reports right back to me." Kouichi immediately realised it wasn't such a good idea to bring up Yomiyama North so soon. He could see in his friend's eyes that those words made unwanted memories resurface. "Sorry_, _that wasn't my intention."

Naoya slapped Kouichi on the back. "Don't worry about something that has ended, Sakaki. Everything has been fixed."

"Oh…" Kouichi decided to change the topic to ease the tension. "Well anyway, how are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm the same old me… Now that things are back to normal I can sleep again."

_That was a lie, Naoya-kun. _

"How about you, Sakaki? Is everything going well at that museum of yours?"

"Well, nothing's really changed, but thank you for asking. Speaking of which, it was just last week that Mei-san came for a visit. Long ago I told her about Tokyo and promised to take her to a museum one day, so I did. Much to my own surprise, she enjoyed the tour of the museum more than I thought she would, although she didn't believe me when I told her that I was running the place."

"Serves you right. That's what you get for laughing at me when I first told you that I was a teacher."

"Well, I still haven't gotten used to it." Kouichi's voice became fainter. "Jokes aside, she wears her eye patch again."

"Because she remembers what the colour means? I reckoned she would put it on again after Yomiyama. But she's got you now, so she's not alone, eh?" said Naoya, poking his friend with his elbow.

"Oi Teshigawara, you do know she's married, right?" asked Kouichi and blushed a little. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at his friend's implication of a possible romance between Mei and him. Even after hearing this multiple times in the past. After all, she was a very attractive woman in Kouichi's eyes.

"I know, but your reaction has never ceased to amuse me," laughed Naoya and remembered that a lot of 9th graders actually thought the two of them would get married after reaching adulthood. However, after graduating, Kouichi went back to Tokyo. Many of the other students left the town to continue their education elsewhere as well. Not many remained in Yomiyama and even less of them returned after finishing with their studies.

"On the other hand, how come you're in Tokyo? I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you earlier. I was thinking of surprising you, but what if I was wrong... I didn't want to scare some unsuspecting citizen. So instead I dialled your number and hoped you would hear it in this noise. Your hearing is excellent, my friend." Kouichi decided to re-direct the conversation onto something that didn't have anything to do with their former school or Yomiyama itself. Nevertheless his efforts turned out to be futile.

"Actually, I'm with my class. It's still part of the tradition to go on the traditional class trip in August. My students must be heading towards the top of the Tokyo Tower by now." Naoya laughed nervously and looked up at the great white and orange structure not far away from them. "I have kind of developed a… Err, fear of heights in the past few months, so I rather stayed at ground level and took a walk through the city," he explained. "They have a guide, so I'm sure they will be fine. When you're fifteen, you don't do any silly things anymore."

"Have you concluded that based on your experience?"

"Oi, are you hinting at something?" asked Naoya trying to fake an offended expression.

"Of course not, it's just a force of habit," said Kouichi pretending not to see Naoya's failed attempt at seriousness. "Oh, before I forget, please send my regards to your wife. I remembered her the other day when I had okonomiyaki at a restaurant near the museum. It was nothing compared to the okonomiyaki she makes. The one I ate when I stayed at your place was truly delicious and not comparable with anything."

"Ah I'll have to agree on that, Miyuki's okonomiyaki is divine. That's the Osakan blood, you know," Naoya nodded and thought of the wonders his wife was capable of in the kitchen. "Thank you, I'll pass on the message."

Kouichi wanted to talk more with Naoya and at the same time he was desperately trying to avoid any mention of the calamity. Unfortunately, this plan completely backfired. "This reminds me, I recall seeing a family photo in your kitchen. That was your son on the picture between Miyuki-san and you, I think? It's a shame I didn't meet him back then. Well, I wanted to tell you how alike you two looked. What was his name? Sorry, I seem to have forgotten…"

Those words made Naoya freeze and tightly grip the empty coffee cup. If he had known Kouichi would unintentionally tear open an old wound, he wouldn't have answered the phone in the first place. Thinking back, the phone's ringing was somehow different. At first he thought it was because of all the background noise, but now he knew. It was like the phone was trying to warn him beforehand. He shook his head. He should have known a trip to Tokyo would be a bad idea. The old shrine at the top of Mt. Yomiyama would have served just fine as a travel destination. On the other hand, Naoya knew he would have regretted not coming to the Kanto region. As painful as it was, he was looking forward to meeting his old friend again, especially now under much more convenient circumstances. Earlier when he recognised Kouichi's voice, he felt surprised, yet relieved, but anxiety quickly replaced that pleasant emotion. Now the gaping hole in his heart was growing wider, the bitter grief threatened to swallow him whole, tossing him into a pitch dark abyss.

To prevent Kouichi from noticing his change of manner, he threw the cup into a dustbin they coincidentally passed by that moment, making this action the reason for his sudden halt. He coughed slightly, hoping to be able to clear the newly formed lump in his throat. "Hajime," he said. "He is one of my students as well."

_Why did I say that? He is not in my class. He never was._

* * *

_**Saa docchi ga maboroshi darou ne?**_

**Well, which one of us is a figment of imagination?**

* * *

**A/N:** It's been AGES since I updated, I'm so sorry! A lot of stuff has happened in the past months and this fanfic wasn't really my priority. I hope it was worth the wait.

ANYWAY. As usual, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more! :)


	6. Chapter 5: Forget

**A/N: **I'd like to thank all the lovely people who have read and/or reviewed my story. Here's another chapter of my Another fanfic :)

* * *

**Chapter 5: Forget**

Naoya left the school building's roof without looking back. He calmly walked to the classroom that was now empty for all his students went home after what had been seemingly just another day for them. After collecting his things he exited the school's premises, but not before casting a glance at the ground where a body was supposed to be lying. Images of his dead son appeared in front of his eyes; moments from months ago he thought he'd long forgotten. With his heart beating in his throat he directed his gaze to the spot right below the scene of the crime. There was no helping it, he _had_ to check. Otherwise he'd think it was all just a figment of his imagination and that was even worse than reality.

As expected there was nothing, no trace of a body whatsoever. Or was it? Upon closer inspection Naoya noticed a piece of the railing that broke off when… Earlier. Other than that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The piece of metal was bothering him though, so he kicked it under a bush with the tip of his shoe not caring whether somebody saw him or not. Even if someone did, what would they think? For all they knew it could have been a rock or a small tree branch. Besides, not a soul was present. It was as silent as the grave.

The sensei was surprised at how focused and indifferent he was considering what occurred mere five minutes ago. Strangely, calmness got hold of him earlier than panic could. No wonder, the course of events played themselves out so unbelievably fast: Mei and Kouichi arriving at Yomi North, Mei pointing out the student, Naoya deciding to be the one to do the task and finally, those moments on the roof. Even though Naoya's appearance radiated steadiness, when he reached his car his head was everything but that. His thoughts were like a hurricane, flying through his skull at incredible speed refusing to come to a halt, and preventing him from focusing. Pinching the bridge of his nose with the thumb and the index finger of his right hand he tried to collect his scattered thoughts. He turned on the radio. Only as the cheerful melody of a number one hit blasted through the speakers was he finally able to build a wall inside his head. Yes, he was starting to feel the change. Starting the car he thought of the forthcoming week and all the things he still had to get done until then. Life will go on. That's right, Miyuki's parents were supposed to come visit them on Sunday. He wondered whether that still was the case. If yes, he had to think of what to make for lunch. They were vegetarians and he couldn't serve fish again. Then there was this meeting he was expected to attend…

The streets of Yomiyama were empty, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Naoya rolled down the car's window and enjoyed the warm breeze caressing his hair. The gentle wind, the warm sun calmed him down and made the events of the past hour seem like a bad dream.

However, that had only lasted until he arrived at home and entered the kitchen. Miyuki, who finished work a little before her husband, was standing at the sink disposing of the leftovers from that day's breakfast. She was silently humming a melody that Naoya had known very well by now. It was a song she was taught as a little girl. Ever since she has been married she rarely visited Osaka and the song escaped her lips whenever she was on her own and missed her city.

Naoya wanted to embrace her from behind before she could notice, though the surprise failed as soon as she heard the sound of feet shuffling behind her.

"Welcome back, _anata_," she greeted him with a smile. "Oh, are you on your own? Where are your friends from Tokyo?"

A sea of thoughts wanted to break free, but Naoya kept the waves at bay. He shrugged. "Oh, Sakaki and Misaki? They had to leave earlier than planned. They're sending their greetings though."

"Ah, that's such a shame. I hope nothing bad has happened."

Naoya swallowed nervously. "No, don't worry. Sakaki received an important call from his museum and he had to rush back. They have apparently received an original Da Vinci or something and they require the director to sign all the paperwork." Naoya forgot to think of a backup story on the way back, so he said the first thing that came to mind.

"What, really? I didn't know you had such important former classmates," remarked Miyuki fascinated, completely believing her husband's story. This made Naoya's lips curl into a faint smile.

"I was kidding, there was no Da Vinci. But his phone had rung at some point before we bid farewell."

"I should have known," said Miyuki shaking her head. She smeared a little washing up foam on the tip of his nose. Turning back to the sink she added, "I will never master the art of reading your face in situations like this."

"I won't quit until you do," said Naoya wiping the foam off his nose.

"I don't have to turn around to know that you have that cheeky smile on you always do when I fail at recognising your poor jokes, Naoya. I do like it when you remind me of the reason why I married you though."

"You married me because I am extremely good looking," Naoya remarked while remembering the rainy day they met on the subway in her home city. He was in a hurry and fell down the slippery flight of stairs not hurting anything except his pride in the process. There was actually a woman in the enormous crowd of people who offered to help his clumsy self. That woman, of course, was Miyuki.

"Yeah and because I thought you needed someone who would take care of you in case you broke a bone or two," she said with a laugh. "Anyway, I just arrived home a quarter of an hour ago. Would you please wait until I'm finished here? We can discuss lunch then. I don't think we have many ingredients at home, I might have to make a quick trip to the store," she said while inspecting the inside of their fridge.

However, despite her cheerful remark Naoya was sunk deep in thought again. "Sure," he said absent-mindedly and went over to the cupboard in order to fetch himself a glass. He needed to have a sip of water for his throat suddenly became dry. A lump started to form. The wall he barricaded his thoughts behind was threatening to crumble down.

And it did. His façade shattered when he saw the framed family photograph on the shelf beside the cupboard. Between the mother and the father there was a young boy aged about thirteen. The proud parents each had their hands on his shoulder. Naoya stared at the photograph like it was his first time seeing it. The young boy looked back at him with a wide smile, a boy who was alive and well not so long ago, a boy whose hair colour was exactly like his father's and his eyes were as warm as those of his mother. Naoya began to shake due to the overwhelming sadness that suddenly overcame him. He couldn't control his hands anymore and the sound of breaking glass echoed through the kitchen. Miyuki jumped. She opened her mouth to make a joking remark at the broken glass when she noticed something wasn't right. Her husband was leaning against the counter supporting himself with his hands. Lowering his head he averted his gaze from the photograph. The paleness that spread across his features frightened Miyuki so much she felt her heart beating against her ribcage.

"Naoya! Are you alright? Have you cut yourself?" Miyuki knew that was a stupid question, nobody would look like that if the problem lay in some broken glass. However, in the heat of the moment that was the only thing she could think of to say.

Naoya shook his head. "I'm… I'm okay." In order to collect himself he drew a deep breath. "I will clean it up right away."

"I wouldn't believe you even if you gave an effort in sounding more convincing. You don't look okay at all. You need to sit down. Come on." She offered him a chair and he obeyed her. The moment she looked at her husband's expression made her knees weak, a reason for which she couldn't yet find an answer to. The only thing she was certain of was that seeing him like that frightened her immensely. "Never mind the glass, I didn't like it anyway," she added to lighten the mood somewhat. Little did she know that her husband didn't even comprehend what she had said.

Naoya felt dizzy, extremely dizzy. The weight of losing a loved person twice was pushing him down, making him feel like he was about to suffocate. All these long months he hasn't shed a single tear for his son, not even at his funeral the previous winter. It was not that he couldn't or didn't want to. No, it was the opposite. There were times when all he desired was a dark room where he could drown in sorrow without being interrupted by anyone. A room where he could do anything to forget his pain be it sitting in the silence, crying, screaming, breaking, punching or drinking until his energy would be gone and he would fall asleep due to exhaustion. However, he had to remain strong for Miyuki who was on the verge of going insane with grief herself. Somebody had to be there for her, comfort her, tell her that a better tomorrow was to come. What would have happened if he hadn't done so? There wasn't anyone else more suited for this task than him for he was the one who knew Miyuki best. Out of all the relatives and friends they had only Naoya knew; only he could exactly _feel_ what she was going through.

A parent's worst nightmare is to lose their child, that's something so terrifying they don't dare to think of it unless it happens as a result of some unfortunate turn of events. Such a loss is hard to comprehend and it's even harder to learn to live with it. Why? Despite knowing that every flower that blooms is destined to wither and perish, parents give life to their children hoping it will never fade away. Children are destined to outlive their parents; it shouldn't be any other way. Basic laws of nature, it's as simple as that.

When Naoya learnt the devastating news the tears wouldn't come at first due to the shock, then he didn't let them come and later he didn't feel like crying anymore. However, with all that's happened today he wasn't able to fight off the tears anymore. No, it was time he grieved properly as well.

At first there were only two tiny drops of salty water that emerged from the corner of his eyes and rolled down his cheek. Trying to conceal the fragile man that had appeared he buried his face in his hands. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs, and then suddenly the tears he'd been holding back all those months came free.

Miyuki obviously didn't understand what was going on. To her it looked like her husband, who had never had a breakdown before, was falling apart right in front of her eyes. Even though she knew there was a reason for it she didn't know what had triggered it. "_Anata_, what's wrong?" She knelt down beside him and put a hand on his back, caressing it gently. Realising he needed to let it all out Miyuki didn't say another word. That was one of those little things that made their relationship work. They could figure out quite quickly what the other half was trying to say often without words being spoken at all. All it took was a look in the eyes or a small gesture.

The kitchen was now embraced by silence that was occasionally broken by a sob or two. However, Miyuki couldn't help but try to find an explanation as to how it came to this. Naoya was completely alright when she left for work in the morning. Sure, he did come across a little exhausted, but that was because the woman from Tokyo got into an awful accident. Other than that he was his usual self: always in a good mood and cracking jokes whenever an opportunity presented itself. Was he ill? If he had been she would have surely noticed, right? He hasn't had any appointments scheduled at the doctor's. If he had felt sick he would have definitely told her. What was it then? Has someone he knew died? Miyuki didn't know what to think anymore. The more options she thought of the more they frightened her. The only thing she was sure of was that judging by the state her husband was in something terrible, terrible must have happened.

All of a sudden she remembered he left the cupboard open. Desperately searching for a clue she slid her gaze across the corner of the room where the shards of broken glass marked the place Naoya was standing earlier. At first she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Then she saw the photograph.

_Could it have been the photograph? He sees it every day though, how could it have triggered such an overwhelming emotional response? And why after all this time?_

Naoya felt as if his heart was being ripped apart by a thousand tiny hands that each wanted to claim a piece of the muscle for themselves. He knew there was nothing actually wrong with his heart, but it hurt like hell. Would this pain ever ease? At that moment it didn't seem like it. At that moment nothing seemed like it would get better.

Then after a while the tears stopped coming and he felt somewhat relieved. He lifted his head only to meet his wife's eyes filled with worry. And something else. Was it fear he saw?

"Thank you," he whispered after taking the handkerchief she had handed him. He straightened himself, sighed. This was going to be hard. Naoya couldn't tell her the entire truth, he couldn't tell _anyone_ the entire truth, though he couldn't lie to her either. Not only was he a bad liar, Miyuki also deserved more than that.

"Are you feeling better now?" asked Miyuki in a faint voice and pulled up another chair. After sitting down she comfortingly placed her hand on her husband's thigh while not averting her gaze.

Naoya looked into her dilated pupils. "Yes, thank you." He paused. "I… I don't know how to…"

"It was him, wasn't it?"

Before he could stop himself the word 'him' made Naoya look at the photograph, thus confirming Miyuki's suspicions.

She swallowed nervously. "Ha-Hajime, I mean." They rarely mentioned his name, they only referred to him as 'he' whenever a topic regarding their son came up. It was way too painful. They both swore they wouldn't forget him, that's why they hadn't thrown away anything that reminded them of his memory. They did, however, by some strange non-verbal agreement, agree that the use of his name was to be avoided in order to let the wounds heal faster. What none of them suspected was that wounds of this kind don't just get better overnight.

Naoya nodded slowly. "Yes. I've been thinking a lot about him… I mean Hajime recently." Leaning back on his chair he closed his eyes. "You wanted to throw that photograph out, remember?"

This time it was Miyuki who nodded in confirmation. Staring at the floor she said, "I wanted everything gone. Every single thing that reminded me of what we've lost. Now I am glad you convinced me otherwise."

"I wonder whether that was a good idea. I mean look at me now," Naoya whispered.

"You may say that now, but deep inside you know you don't want to forget him. I know I don't and I know you feel the same way too. We promised. It was long ago, but we promised each other." They eyes met and she continued, "You don't think I noticed. Back then when Hajime d… When Hajime had that accident and I was about to lose my mind you didn't shed a tear nor did you ask for comfort. I did notice. First I wished I were as strong as you. I wished to relieve myself of this aching pain by becoming strong. I couldn't manage though. The more I tried the more I failed. Then, after being oblivious for weeks to no end, I understood. I realised you weren't being strong for yourself; you were being strong for me. Oh, how blinded by grief I was. Back then I didn't give you the chance to grieve, so I'm giving you one now. It's never too late to mourn your loved ones." She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. He returned the gesture.

"I thought I had moved on, I really did. What an utterly stupid thing to believe in," Naoya said looking into the distance. "Something happened today. Something that made me realise how far from moving on I actually am. Hell, I am light years away." He turned to face her. "Miyuki, I miss Hajime so much. His life had only just begun, why did it have to end so soon?" Two tears rolled down his cheeks once more.

"I miss him too, more than I can possibly say." A tear rolled down Miyuki's cheek as well. "Remember what you told me back then. 'Nothing is truly lost if you cherish its memory in your heart.' Whenever I think of Hajime I remind myself of that sentence. It helps a lot. You said this to me back when… When you came home and found me in the living room searching through the first aid kit…"

"…when the knife slipped while you were making dinner. I remember," Naoya said.

"Yes."

A long silence followed that was eventually broken by Naoya. "You know, he would have been in my class. Definitely. The other day I felt like he was there during the lecture. I don't believe in ghosts and all those supernatural things, but I could feel his presence. And I imagined him waiting for me after classes were over so we'd go home together."

"And he'd call you Teshigawara-sensei, just imagine that," Miyuki added.

"Nah, he'd just go and call me _otou-san_ in front of the entire class. But I wouldn't even scold him." They both smiled at the thought.

Miyuki watched as the shine returned to Naoya's eyes. She took his face in her hands and wiped away the newly formed tears that were just about to roll down his cheek. Strangely, he seemed to have aged five years in half a day. "I love you, Naoya. Every morning I wake up knowing that you are there beside me. There is no better medicine than that. And no matter what I will remain by your side. For as long as you need me."

* * *

Teshigawara Hajime passed away in an accident the previous winter at the age of fourteen. He was walking home from school when a football sized piece of ice hit him on the head. The ice was part of a larger block of frozen water clinging to the roof of a building he passed by under. After falling several storeys it's only understandable that it killed him instantly. The boy didn't even have the time to comprehend what had just happened for he was dead before he hit the ground. Maybe it was even for the best. The day was quite cold and not many people walked by the location of his death, that's why it had taken a while until they discovered his body lying face down in the snow. The books from his school bag were scattered around him, the pages slowly soaking in the warm blood that oozed from his head wound like a small river. Rigor mortis hadn't set in yet, but his body was already as cold as the piece of ice that took his life.

Being the only descendant of the Teshigawara family his parents couldn't get over his death. However, in April the calamity began once again and returned Hajime to his parents who were on the brink of desperation. The boy entered their daily lives as fast as he left, altering everyone's memories in the process. One day the parents' life reverted back to the one they had before Hajime's accident and the emptiness disappeared. That dreadful feeling of deep sadness was gone. Instead the feeling of joy they thought to be long lost returned in the form of their son who was not supposed to be amongst the living anymore. What they didn't know was that paradise always came at a price that had to be paid sooner or later.

Nobody will ever know that Hajime's primary death was caused by the calamity as well. Teshigawara Naoya was the homeroom teacher of class 3-3 the previous year too and unbeknownst to anyone that year only one victim was taken. To be precise it was his first year taking over the duty of the homeroom teacher. This is where the problem lay; he wasn't just any other teacher at Yomiyama North. No, he was everything but that. He was someone who has had contact with the calamity and the class itself in the past. First a student and then a teacher. This was more than enough to serve as a wakeup call. In addition, the curse had been dormant for twenty-three years and its rules were altered. By whom? Perhaps by Yomiyama Misaki whose spirit is still stuck in the land of the living? Or possibly by Naoya who agreed to a job he should have chosen more carefully?

So, what exactly were the new rules of the calamity? There were three new alterations and the first one was as follows.

_Rule #1: Everyone who is related by blood to anyone in the class is in danger._

In the past, it only claimed the lives of the student, their siblings, their parents or their grandparents. Now it added one more generation, the current teacher's children.

* * *

On the busy street of Japan's capital Naoya coughed slightly hoping to be able to clear the huge lump in his throat. "Hajime," he said. "He is one of my students as well."

_Why did I say that? He is not in my class. He never was._

Kouichi didn't notice the tension in Naoya's voice as the latter said his son's name out loud. True, since that fateful day on the roof he and Miyuki have not referred to their son only as 'he' anymore. However, he couldn't help but tense up at the mention of that name outside his house.

"I reckon he is not as easily frightened as his father and is enjoying the view from up there," Kouichi remarked and pointed at the tall attraction in front of them.

"Not really. It probably runs in the family." Naoya's answer was short and his friend didn't know what else could be said. Kouichi could feel something was different about his former classmate; he wasn't his old self, not completely. He chose not to mention anything though. If Naoya wanted to share he eventually would.

Silence fell as the two friends continued their walk. Well, silence is not really an accurate word considering they were on the streets of the most populous metropolitan area in the world.

"I was hoping you'd join me for lunch later on," Kouichi spoke up hoping their conversation wouldn't end in discussing matters concerning the small town in Nagano. "I happen to know a really good fast food restaurant around here. But if you're busy then maybe some other time," he proposed in a nervous tone.

"Yes, definitely," said Naoya absent-mindedly and looked at his watch. "Ah, I'm sorry. I'll have to get going if I want to reach the foot of the Tokyo Tower in time. Come visit us in Yomiyama sometimes, will you?"

"How silly of me, you are with the class. You obviously don't have time for lunch. Ah, Yomiyama! You know I will. Believe it or not, I am eager to return to that town to see how much it has changed in the past twenty years. Besides, you promised me a drink and a long talk about the good old days." Kouichi stopped and checked the time as well. "This is the furthest I can accompany you, I have some business I need to get done at an office around the corner." He smiled at his friend. "Well then, it was nice seeing you. And in case the memory of your invitation slips from your mind, I'll remind you every day over the phone," he laughed and offered Naoya his hand. "I know you can be quite forgetful regarding certain things."

"I know you well enough to take that as a serious warning," smiled Naoya. He didn't accept Kouichi's hand though. Instead he gave him a rather achy squeeze making his friend jokingly let out a moan of pain.

"I had no idea you would miss me this much," he said with a laugh.

"Me neither, my friend. Regarding that call though… Please have some mercy on me and don't call me during the night," he added with a frown. "Otherwise Miyuki will make me sleep on the couch. I always end up with severe neck pain whenever I accidentally fall asleep on it."

"I will if you forget to call me back," Kouichi promised. "Goodbye, Teshigawara." With that he disappeared out of sight into the thick crowd of people.

"See you_, _Sakaki," Naoya said even though he knew his friend couldn't hear him anymore.

_Forget. What a funny word it actually is, _he thought as he stopped at the traffic light and waited for the pedestrian crossing sign to turn green.

Besides the calamity expanding its repertoire there was one more change in its rules. Weeks, even months after Hajime's second death Naoya could still recall everything.

_Rule #2: The one who returns the dead back to the dead will carry the burden of it for as long as they live._

Not only fragments, the entire scene played itself out over and over in his head giving him nightmares way too often. In the first few weeks when the memories were as plain as day he tried very hard to forget the dreadful act. He told himself to endure just one more day, that when he would rise the next morning his hands would be washed clean. However, that day refused to come no matter how long he waited. As time passed the little hope that was left was fading away. Eventually he gave up. Naoya came to realise that the moment of peace he yearned for would probably never become reality. The worst were the evenings when Miyuki had already gone to bed and he was working late on his computer. The street was silent, the house was silent. Not a sound could be heard except the coffee maker's hum as another cup of the bitter beverage was being made. And Naoya's occasional sighs. He often worked so late he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, so he would immediately fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

At times like this he knew. The fact that he caused the death his own flesh and blood would weigh upon him for the rest of his life; he didn't have the power to change that. Each evening he considered the same fact Kouichi did back in Yomiyama. Unknowingly, of course. Since Hajime had already been dead, he hasn't really killed him, has he? He was more someone who fixed what was broken rather than a murderer. Yes, he only restored the imbalance the calamity had caused. Like the people who rebuild their homes after a thunderstorm or earthquake destroys them. Moreover, he wasn't the first one to have done so. As far as he knew, two more people went through a similar struggle such as his.

_That's true, except they were blessed with the veil of oblivion. Unlike me they aren't tormented by dark thoughts in the dead of night. No images of death and suffering flashing behind their eyelids as soon as they close their eyes. Speaking of which, who volunteered to get the task done when we were in 9__th__ grade? Have they recalled anything? Ah. Not that it would matter to me. Even if they did remember that wouldn't be of any significance to me. So there is no point in pursuing this topic for it won't lead anywhere._

The meeting with Kouichi did indeed hurt, but it also reminded Naoya of that sentence Miyuki recalled when he finally decided to let his inhibitions go. "_Nothing is truly lost if you cherish its memory in your heart." _Standing in the centre of the city as loud as a beehive Naoya found more in those words his wife quoted him that day. When he first said them to her he didn't even pay much attention to their meaning. He knew they would help her calm down and at that moment that was the only thing that mattered. As soon as they had the desired effect he put them away into a hidden corner of his mind and they had stayed there until she said them back to him. It took him a while to grasp their true meaning. When he finally had after Kouichi's departure the world seemed to have changed.

_So that's how Miyuki managed, that's why she told me not to worry about the knife slipping again…_

Naoya realised the naivety from half a year ago needed to be left in the past for he knew better now. He knew the pain he perceived every day would never vanish, not completely. The only option left to him was to learn to live with this new fate life has presented him with. He read the message wrong. It wasn't about _forgetting_ at all, it was about _remembering_. The point was to open his mind and heart instead of throwing away the key. Even though it can be hard it's important not to lose. His son was the best thing besides Miyuki that has happened to him, that's why it was significant to treasure his memory. How ironic though, he had spent months in the dark because he didn't comprehend the meaning of his own words. It seemed completely absurd now. Why is reason absent in the most crucial moments?

Hajime's death might have taken something precious from him; however, at the same time it also gave Naoya the strength to battle the very thing that was threatening to drive him mad. He needed that strength now more than ever.

Unaware of his surroundings and the passing of time the homeroom teacher of class 3-3 looked up at the cloudy sky with a faint smile playing across his lips. He could see an almost unrecognisable and weak source of light at the end of his pitch dark tunnel. And that was more than enough to keep his newfound hope ablaze and alive. Burning for Hajime's sake, for Miyuki's and most importantly: his own.

_Rule #3: If you kill your own blood, the calamity stops for 23 years._

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_**Mou hitori kimi ga ite.**_

** There is another you.**

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**A/N:** Oh, finally! This chapter was a tough one to write, that's why it's taken me five months to update :O I know it's pretty dark, but it had to be done. I hope you guys liked it anyway.  
Also, please leave a review if you like, it means a lot to me :)


	7. Author's note (please read)

**A/N:** Hello! As you can see this is not another chapter, but a short list of changes that you need to know.

Yes, I am still here and I haven't forgotten about this story. I can't find the words to apologise for being away for more than a year, but I swear I didn't have such a long hiatus in mind. *puppy eyes* (*whispers* please forgive me...)

Here's the reason: I had the biggest (and when I say 'biggest' I mean FREAKING ENORMOUS) writer's block ever. No matter what I wrote it just didn't feel right and no matter what kind of corrections I made I was still in a blind alley. I have at least five or six different versions written somewhere on my computer that never got used. *sigh*

However! The other day I sat down determined to give it another try and I succeeded. *opens champagne* Yes! Actually, I got really inspired with many ideas popping into my head. Which brings me to my next point.  
I decided to end Never forgotten. Chapter 5 was the last one. When I look at it now I get the feeling that it was a nice finish. Don't fret though, faithful reader, for I have prepared a surprise!

*drumroll*

Like I said above I started writing again. Which means there is a sequel to Never forgotten in the works :) Since my primary idea was to write about Kouichi and Mei (a.k.a. their friendship) I am focusing on that in my new story. It didn't get past my attention that quite a few of my readers ship the two friends (duh. I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't fond of them). So I encourage you to head over to my profile where you can find a new story called Beyond the horizon. However, before starting it I'd like to recommend reading the last chapter of Never forgotten again since I made a couple of little changes. And also to refresh your memory because I haven't updated in half a century. (mental note: don't do that ever again)  
Here's a lovely quote to send you on your way:

_"There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place." J. K. Rowling_

See you! :)

**~Sayu**

P.S. - As always I thank you a lot for reading my writing! When I was away I still kept receiving new follows and favourites which encouraged me not to abandon this story. **THANK YOU!** I will do my best to keep delivering more adventures ;)


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